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0 Water conflict is a term that describes a conflict between countries, states, or groups over the rights to access water resources. Water disputes result from opposing interests of water users, and water conflicts/ disputes arise for several reasons, including territorial disputes, a fight for resources, and strategic advantage. These conflicts can occur over freshwater and saltwater, and between and within nations. However, conflicts mostly occur over freshwater because freshwater resources are scarce and a necessity.
Less than 0.01% of all water worldwide is available for human use in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and easily accessible aquifers. About three fifths of water flowing in all rivers is shared by two or more countries. For example, the Nile river basin is shared by 11 countries and all 11 countries are dependent on it as a water source. Also, many countries are highly dependent on water resources that originate from outside their territory.
Conflicts over water are increasing for many reasons, major underlying reasons include climate change, low rainfall or inadequate water supply, dependency on one major water source, increased population and urbanization, modernization and industrialization, and a history of poor relations between countries.
Nile River Basin, Example of Water Conflict
The Nile River flows from the south to the north through eastern Africa. The Nile begins in the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the longest rivers in the world. It runs through or along 11 African countries, Egypt, Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
In the Nile river Basin, Ethiopia is developing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam that will be the largest hydropower project in Africa. For Ethiopia the dam can support millions of people and provide needed electricity. Historically, Egypt and Sudan have had water rights to the Nile, while Ethiopia was not given a quantifiable share. But as water and energy demand grows in the Nile River basin, Ethiopia is asserting its needs for hydropower and irrigated agriculture to promote development.
The problem with this is that this dam impacts Egypt and its water use opportunities, therefore, Egypt is against the project. The project could potentially reduce water supplies downstream to Egypt by more than one third due to it being at the headwaters of the Nile River. Egypt relies on the Nile for more than 90% of its water, and its population is expected to increase in the next 30 years, which then would increase Egypts demand for water from the Nile.
Historically, water rights surrounding the Nile river and its water have existed since 1959 due to the eleven dependent countries that rely on it as a water source.
Connecting Water Access and Insecurity to Water Conflict
Water conflicts occur because the demand for water resources can exceed supply, or because control over access and allocation of water may be disputed. Water can be too scarce, too unreliable, too abundant or too dirty, and this creates divides where there are questions like who, or what, has access to sufficient and clean water, and who is deprived? This also creates pressures on the affected deprived parties to obtain more of a shared water resource, which can cause tension or conflict.
Additionally, water insecurity is increasing worldwide, and creates instability in communities. This increases the need for competition, and thus conflict. Water availability depends on hydrological factors, and changes due to natural conditions, and so individual use of water for livelihoods changes too. Water scarcity is also caused and worsened by human activities such as over abstraction, unsustainable land use, deforestation, intensified irrigation, and the modification of ecosystems. These changes in water availability such as water scarcity makes conflict more likely to happen because of the increase in competition and water users.
Overall, the lack of available clean water creates problems for countries, their citizens and governments because low water availability can lower food production, industrial output, and change livelihoods and that can potentially lead to conflict.
References:
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Wikipedia contributors. (2022b, January 29). Water conflict. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_conflict
Water scarcity and conflict: Not such a straightforward link. (2019, November 6). ECDPM. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://ecdpm.org/great-insights/complex-link-climate-change-conflict/water-scarcity-conflict/
Wikipedia contributors. (2022c, January 29). Water conflict. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_conflict#:%7E:text=Water%20conflicts%20occur%20because%20the,of%20water%20may%20be%20disputed
Coolgeography – GCSE – Impacts Water insecurity. (n.d.). Cool Geography. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://www.coolgeography.co.uk/gcsen/CRM_Water_Insecurity.php
S. (2021, August 31). Water dispute on the Nile River could destabilize the region. USC News. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://news.usc.edu/188414/nile-river-water-dispute-filling-dam-egypt-ethiopia-usc-study/
National Geographic Society. (2019, February 21). Nile River. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/nile-river/#:%7E:text=The%20Nile%20River%20flows%20from,longest%20river%20in%20the%20world.
- Technology and the Environment: The Montreal Protocol - April 4, 2022
- The Connection between Water Conflict and Water Insecurity - February 26, 2022
- The Flint Water Crisis and Water Accessibility - February 26, 2022
